


Cats from the Future - part 2

by Jatekos-3 (TransparentSheepDeer)



Series: Cats from the Future [2]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Gen, Mental Health Issues, Past Abuse, Self-Esteem Issues, Slow Updates, Spoilers, Spoilers for everything from into the wild to the last hope, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-09 04:09:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18909265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TransparentSheepDeer/pseuds/Jatekos-3
Summary: It has been moons since Ivypool, Hawkfrost, Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw had "arrived" in the past, but they still don't know why they are here, or how to go back.





	1. Summary of the previous work

Hi folks!

A little meta about this fic before you read:

I originally posted this on ff.net, but I'm re-posting/archiving it here because no one is sure how Article 13 affects European users, I do it just in case I suddenly get deleted from that platform.

I wrote the previous work when I was 14 and a HawkIvy shipper. I stopped writing because of mental health issues and lack of interest in the ship and fandom, and then I randomly re-read the story one day and decided to continue it.

I divided this into two stories on purpose (thank you ao3 for letting me do that). Chapters 1-14 AKA the previous work is HawkIvy heavy, but later chapters AKA **this work does not have HawkIvy content (as of now, and it definitely won't for a while)**.

It hasn't been decided whether HawkIvy is endgame or not, but since their romantic relationship is not the focus anymore, this work doesn't have anything tagged for it now.

If anyone wants to read this on ff.net, [here is the link](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10013444/1/Cats-from-the-future) (it doesn't open in a new tab, sorry I have no idea what I'm messing up it just doesn't work).

The summary is here in case anyone was interested in the story but squicked by major HawkIvy content or something else. This work is _not_ a stand-alone, it is the direct continuation of the previous one, but since it's very different in tone, themes, etc., I wanted to separate them so I could tag appropriately.

**The summary of the previous work chapter by chapter:**

Chapter 1

  * Hawkfrost wakes up in Riverclan's old camp seconds after his second death. He quickly figures that he is in RiverClan's old territory. For some reason, Ivypool is also here.
  * As they go on a patrol, Hawkfrost attempts to kill her, but when Mothwing stops them and says they shouldn't fight because they are best friends, he stops.
  * He and Ivypool decide to act as if they actually were best friends.



Chapter 2

  * Hawkfrost tries to teach Ivypool how to fish.
  * Ivypool splashes water into Hawkfrost's face. Hawkfrost pushes her into the river. After Ivypool climbs out, she pushes him in the river, and Hawkfrost does the same afterwards.
  * Hawkfrost nicknames Ivyool "Softpaw", Ivypool nicknames him "Stoneheart."



Chapter 3

  * Hawkfrost and Ivypool return to the camp.
  * They share food. They try to talk, but they can't really.
  * Hawkfrost tells Ivypool that RiverClan cats curse differently than ThunderClan cats.
  * By night, they go out for a walk.



Chapter 4

  * They first check the ThunderClan border.
  * Ivypool wonders why Hawkfrost hates StarClan so much.
  * Hawkfrost comments on Leafpaw's (Leafpool's) not so rare journeys into their territory, Ivypool takes her side.
  * Hawkfrost urges her to go on, but Ivypool threatens to cross the border if he doesn't tell her where they were going. Hawkfrost tells her they were going to the Fourtrees, so she had the chance to see it, too.



Chapter 5

  * Ivypool looks around while asking Hawkfrost some questions about the place.
  * When they go back, they figure out that Ivypool's nest is next to Hawkfrost's.



Chapter 6

  * Mistyfoot disappeared. Hawkfrost taunts Ivypool because he knows he will be appointed deputy.
  * As they wait for Leopardstar to announce the new deputy, Mothwing approaches Ivypool. She mentions Tadpole, but Ivypool doesn't know what she is talking about.
  * When she and Hawkfrost go out on a patrol together, she asks him about it. Hawkfrost tells her that he had been his brother who was dead.
  * Ivypool tries to comfort him, but Hawkfrost doesn't want it.



Chapter 7

  * The two-legs have destroyed the Fourtrees.
  * Stormfur returned.
  * Hawkfrost asks Ivypool about the outcome of the great battle. Ivypool tells him that the Dark Forest had lost, but doesn't tell him that Firestar died and that Brambleclaw became leader.
  * Hawkfrost asks her about her life in the Clan. Ivypool confesses after some hesitation that Dovewing and her weren't on good terms.
  * Hawkfrost tries to comfort her, but the touch is unwelcome.



Chapter 8

  * Mistyfoot returned, Hawkfrost is not deputy anymore.
  * Ivypool and Hawkfrost save Sasha from that particular ThunderClan patrol. They tell her they are best friends. Sasha jokes that there must be something more between the two, which embarrasses both of them.



Chapter 9

  * Sasha asks Mothwing and Hawkfrost to come with her, but they both decline.
  * Ivypool and Hawkfrost go out to walk and joke around. Ivypool wonders if they were still acting.
  * Squirrelpaw is at the border with Brambleclaw.
  * She woke one day in the mountains, along with Brambleclaw. They too remember the Great Battle. Brambleclaw explained [off-screen] to Squirrelpaw that one day she had disappeared, and that no one had known who she had been, and that it also changed some events. He had seen Ashfur, and Lionblaze, Jayfeather and Hollyleaf were loners who were found by Leafpool.
  * Squirrelflight wonders if this is a dream, and if it is, why does it last so long. She doubts her memories.
  * They spot Hawkfrost, along with Ivypool. They go to talk to Ivypool, and call her their clanmate. Hawkfrost gets angry and attacks Brambleclaw. The moment they divide, Ivypool gets in between them. When Hawkfrost demands she goes away, she tells him she's not going to let him get himself killed. Hawkfrost shouts that even if that happened, at least she could tell the truth about his death, unlike *some* people. Ivypool manages to convince him to calm down, and asks Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw what they want.



Chapter 10

  * They discuss how they might have gotten here. None of them know, they can only speculate. Squirrelpaw wonders if this has something to do with StarClan, but because of Hawkfrost, it is hard to imagine that.
  * Squirrelpaw offers to tell Ivypool about the next moons, but Ivypool declines, saying that Hawkfrost was her clanmate now.
  * They go home because it is cold.
  * In the morning, Ivypool can't get out of her nest. She is ill and has a fever. Hawkfrost gets Mothwing, and together they help Ivypool get to the medicine den.
  * Mothwing teases Hawkfrost, claiming Ivypool was his love. Hawkfrost denies it.
  * Stormfur oversteps Ivypool's physical boundaries, despite Ivypool warning him not to. Hawkfrost gets him off of her.
  * Hawkfrost gives her a mouse, she devours it happily.
  * Hawkfrost tells Ivypool that Leopardstar had been his mentor.



Chapter 11

  * The clans are at Ravenpaw's farm.
  * Hawkfrost is an asshole to Ivypool.
  * Stormfur asks if Ivypool wanted to travel with him, but Hawkfrost intervenes and tells him that Ivypool was traveling him. With Stormfur out of earshot, Ivypool reminds Hawkfrost that he had forgotten to ask her, but she goes along with it.
  * They cross a thunderpath. Ivypool would have gotten hit by a monster, had Hawkfrost not yanked her back in time.
  * Later, they play fight.
  * Mothwing tells them to come sleep. Hawkfrost shares a nest with Mothwing, Ivypool sleeps alone. She thinks about how different Hawkfrost is.



Chapter 12

  * Mothwing wakes up, and she notices that Ivypool is cold. They merge their nests, and Ivypool sleeps between her and Hawkfrost.
  * Neither Hawkfrost nor Ivypool can sleep, so they start talking. Hawkfrost says that Ivypool acted as if she hadn't shared a nest with a tom before. Ivypool says she didn't. It turns out that Hawkfrost thought Ivypool had died twice too, but she didn't. Ivypool explains that it all started with Squirrelflight disappearing, and Brambleclaw's new name slips from her.
  * Ivypool asks Hawkfrost why he hadn't let her be squished by the monster. Hawkfrost tells her some reasons, but not even he knows why he had saved her.
  * In the morning, Hawkfrost confuses Ivypool with Mothwing, and rubs his nose against her neck as he is still half-asleep. He asks Ivypool not to tell, because he doesn't want Mothwing to think he liked her in that sense.
  * They go out hunting. Hawkfrost fights off some dogs [off-screen]. Squirrelpaw annoys them.



Chapter 13

  * They start climbing the mountains. Ivypool has trouble with it, Hawkfrost tries to encourage her.
  * Later, they start yelling, and almost start to fight. Squirrelpaw interrupts them, but she only annoys the two. Stormfur comes, too. Ivypool apologizes to Hawkfrost in hopes it would make them leave. Hawkfrost apologizes too.
  * At night, they share a nest again, so Ivypool doesn't get cold. Ivypool thinks about how the only she can talk to is Hawkfrost, because everyone she had known was gone.
  * They make fun of Squirrelpaw. Hawkfrost asks her if she really hates her, and Ivypool compares her relationship to her to Hawkfrost's and Brambleclaw's. Hawkfrost tells her that Brambleclaw had betrayed and killed him, and that he sought revenge. He leaves out the part with Firestar, though.



Chapter 14

  * Hawkfrost and Ivypool flirt.
  * Squirrelpaw asks Hawkfrost if there was a cat named Dovewing, since Brambleclaw mentioned that she remembered Squirrelpaw after she had disappeared. Hawkfrost tells her no.
  * Squirrelpaw asks Hawkfrost questions about Ivypool, and Hawkfrost lies that he and Ivypool had been a couple. Squirrelpaw then goes to Ivypool, and she confirms it as a joke.
  * Swallowtail vents to Hawkfrost. Hawkfrost, like the asshole that he is, ignores her in favor of Ivypool.
  * Ivypool tells him what Squirrelpaw had told her about their relationship. They both laugh.



 


	2. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Quick TRIGGER WARNING before ya read:**
> 
> I have to admit I decided to continue writing partly because I use it as coping, and I gotta say... it shows. Some lines can be very triggering, just want to make sure no one is "surprised".
> 
> 1) Squirrelpaw's POV, the very last paragraph in her part can be read as  **being**   **severely**   **depressed**
> 
> 2) Ivypool's POV, a whole paragraph between these two sentences: ["He didn't seem to be very engaged in our conversation today."] AND ["I... am sorry about that," she mewed instead.] - the line between these two is about a thought you have when you have **low self-esteem**
> 
> 3) Ivypool's POV, 8 paragraphs between these sentences: [It  _was_  part of the truth, but still not all of it.] AND ["...in an 'I don't know if I like him platonically or romantically' way.] - the latter is the 4th sentence in the 8th paragraph, the first 3 are still triggering. trigger:  **expecting verbal abuse from conversation partner**
> 
> Skipping these parts will not make you confused about what's going on, it is clear from the next lines.

**Squirrelpaw**

"So, let me get this straight: Hawkfrost told you, that he and Ivypool, that they had been in love," Brambleclaw mewed, his tone judging, "and then Ivypool claimed the exact same thing, except she seemed surprised at first."

Squirrelpaw's whiskers twitched. "Yes, that's what happened. Do you think they've actually become friends and played a joke on me?"

"I don't know what to think anymore," Brambleclaw muttered.

"Well, I mean," Squirrelpaw didn't know how to continue. "It has to be a joke. And anyway, how could they even become  _friends_? It defies all logic. Could  _you_  become friends with Hawkfrost?"

"I don't know, Squirrelflight," Brambleclaw mewed, exasperated. "I think we should just let them be, and instead focus on what's  _really_  important."

"If this is about warning the Clans again-"

"This time, it's not." Brambleclaw dug his claws in the dirt. "We have to figure out how to get things back to normal. We can't have Hawkfrost just running around, knowing exactly what is going to happen."

Squirrelpaw stared at him. "What could he possibly do? Attack my father again? He  _knows_  he lost, he won't dare."

"That's exactly the point!"

"Him not trying to kill-"

"No, no! It's him  _knowing_  that he fails! Him  _knowing_  where my loyalties lie!" Brambleclaw's fur bristled. "He knows I will not betray Firestar – so when the time comes, what if he decides to act on his own? What if I won't be there to stop him?"

The blood in Squirrelpaw's veins ran cold. She hadn't thought about it like that.

She took a shaky breath. "So what do we do?" She looked at Brambleclaw. "How can we figure out what this is, how this happened? What if we can't reverse it?"

Brambleclaw stared at the ground, silent. Squirrelpaw pressed her teeth together. Who could they ask? Who could know anything about this? Who could help? Certainly not Hawkfrost or Ivypool – Squirrelpaw was convinced they were just as clueless as the two of them.

... or were they?

"Maybe we should..." She trailed off.

"Maybe we should...?" Brambleclaw prompted.

Squirrelpaw sighed. "I think we should ask them if they know anything. Hawkfrost and Ivypool, I mean."

"Well, last time that happened," Brambleclaw's tone was annoyed, "they didn't tell us anything. They claimed they didn't know about it either."

"What if that changed since, though?"

"You think they would tell?"

"Ivypool might."

Brambleclaw snorted. "Yeah, right. Ivypool. Ever since we met, she has been hostile!"

"She may have a sensible explanation! Maybe she's trying to convince Hawkfrost that-"

"She  _explicitly_   _told us,_ that she was choosing  _him_  over us."

"Yes, she did," Squirrelpaw gave him a hard look. "But it's not like we have talked to her without Hawkfrost being around, you can't know her side of the story. "

"You just did talk to her, and it did not go smooth."

"So you suggest we just stop trying? Just accept that this is our life now?"

"I did not say that, I said Hawkfrost and Ivypool are of no use."

"We are in this together, whether we like it or not. If we don't work together, we will never be able to get things back to how they were before."

Brambleclaw snarled. "And what makes you think Hawkfrost wants that? That he would willingly choose to fade from existence?"

Squirrelpaw wanted to scream he's wrong. She wanted to tell him Hawkfrost would help them. That there was hope, that they could get through this.

But she couldn't.

Her shoulders fell as she realized just how bad their chances were in this situation.

"It's funny, though," she mewed, more to herself than Brambleclaw. "Last time we made this journey I was trying to convince you Hawkfrost was not to be trusted – and now the roles have switched."

Brambleclaw sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have talked to you like that. The truth is, I'm terrified." He moved closer to Squirrelpaw, nudging her ear. "I don't know what to make of this situation either. I am not sure if we can trust Ivypool. But I know we can trust each other."

Squirrelpaw pressed herself into him. "I'm sorry, too."

They stayed like that, trapped by their thoughts.

Squirrelpaw felt empty. The world around her fake, emotionless. What if they could not go back to how things were before? Why did they have to go through this? What was the point? If StarClan did this to them, why didn't they send a sign?

**Ivypool**

Ivypool hoped Squirrelflight – uh, Squirrel _paw,_  did not actually believe what Hawkfrost told her.

Okay, technically she had confirmed it, but it was still the tom who started it.

Right now she was having some second thoughts. Although she had already chosen between the two and Hawkfrost, she wondered if it truly had been the right decision. It seemed reasonable at the time.

Reasonable, because after all, Hawkfrost was  _quite_   _literally_  her clanmate. Not reasonable, because before that, Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw had been. Squirrelflight and Bramblestar. They had been her  _leaders_. And they were the ones who did  _not_  try to kill her in the past.

The whole situation was absurd. Never had she felt so conflicted before – she started doubting her own memory. Did those things that happened in the Dark Forest, and the battle even count now, at this time? The only ones claiming it did were the four of them. How could they be so sure what was the reality? But if those memories were fake, how could all of them have the exact same-

"Is your paw good now?"

Ivypool didn't notice the she-cat approaching. She was RiverClan, but for a moment Ivypool didn't remember her name. Swallowfur? No, wait, Swallow _tail_!

"I... what?"

Swallowtail motioned at her paw. "Your paw. Is it good now?"

Ivypool had already forgotten about her paw. She did not like the way Swallowtail spoke to her. There was something off about her tone.

"It is," she mewed, eyeing the other as she sat down next to her.

"I hope Hawkfrost could be of help," Swallowtail mewed. "He didn't seem to be very engaged in our conversation today."

Ivypool did not know what that had to do with her. Being boring equaled to being ignored. That was just a fact everyone had to accept.

"I... am sorry about that," she mewed instead. She wasn't looking for a fight.

Swallowtail looked at her intently. Ivypool squirmed under her gaze.

"What do you want?" she squeaked out.

Swallowtail's shoulders fell. "I just thought..." She sighed. "I don't know, is it something I said, is it something I did...?" She looked at Ivypool helplessly.

She stared back, confused. "No? I guess?"

"Then why have you been ignoring me these past moons? Anytime I try talk to you or approach you, you just say you're doing something with Hawkfrost," Swallowtail's whiskers twitched. "I thought we were friends, but it doesn't feel like it anymore."

 _Oh_. Ivypool wished she could give her an explanation. A reasonable explanation, that did not involve the fact that she had no idea what was going on right now.

She managed to choke out a pathetic "I, uh..."

Swallowtail looked crestfallen. "I knew it."

"No, no! Don't think anything!" Ivypool tried to think about something. "I... it's not... it's my fault, not yours, okay? I'm sorry I neglected our friendship. I was... I am confused."

"About what?" Swallowtail did not follow the script. She was supposed to be understanding right now and let her off the hook. But since she wasn't-

"It's- it's complicated."

"Well, we have a lot of time to discuss these matters," Swallowtail pointed out. "It's not like we're going anywhere during the night."

It wasn't nightfall, but the sun was already setting, casting long shadows upon them – it was getting harder and harder to see.

"Um... yeah, I guess you're right."

Swallowtail moved a little closer. "So, what is confusing you?"

 _Every single thing that has happened to me in my life_. "Well, it's not... it is more like a  _who_."

"Who?"

"Yes, who."

"No, I mean, who is confusing you?"

Ivypool stared at her paws. "... Hawkfrost."

"Oh," Swallowtail mewed in that well-that-explains-a-lot-tone. "Yes, Hawkfrost is confusing all of us lately."

"Huh?" Ivypool looked back at her face. "What do you mean?"

Swallowtail looked surprised. "Did you really not notice?"

"Notice what?"

"Lately he's been a little..." Swallowtail's eyes trailed down to her own paws.

Ivypool looked at them. Swallowtail unsheathed her claws and dug them in the ground, scratching the surface.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"He has become more... how do I put this," Swallowtail held a pause. "He's constantly in a bad mood, makes remarks about everybody and doesn't care if they hear it, talks back to Leopardstar and Mistyfoot, he has become more aggressive and ruthless during practice, and shows no interest whatsoever in his clanmates' well-being."

Ivypool almost replied  _But he has always been like that_.

"Blackclaw is convinced it's because he couldn't stay deputy," Swallowtail continued. "I say it's because he wasn't clanborn and doesn't value our traditions. If he keeps on being like this, Leopardstar is going to exile him, I am sure."

Ivypool's ears perked up. Hawkfrost could get exiled? That was great news!

...or was it? If he left, she was done for. She did not know the secrets, the codes, the... the whatever those things were that RiverClan cats did.

Swallowtail examined her. "I have to admit, I don't understand why you spend so much time with him. Is he even nice to you?"

Ivypool wanted to say  _Not particularly_. But she wasn't sure if it was the truth. Hawkfrost and her have been... Right now, everything was fine. They even... they were even making jokes together.

About Squirrelpaw. About her  _real_  clanmate.

Her head started spinning. Sure, Hawkfrost has become bearable lately- but does it really make up for his actions in the past?

_I know which cats deserve my loyalty. I'll die before I fight beside Brokenstar and Hawkfrost._

_If he tells Hawkfrost I'm a traitor, I'm dead!_

_Did you really think you'd live after betraying me?_

_Let's make her death slow._

_I won't die easily. And I'll take you with me, Hawkfrost!_

_Get off her!_

"Ivypool?"

"I don't know. I just don't know anymore," she murmured, desperate to keep her voice from breaking. "I wish I knew what is going on, but I don't."

Swallowtail touched her shoulder with her tail. "Ivypool, what's going on? You know you can trust me."

"I can't tell you."

"Yes, you can."

"You wouldn't understand." She did not know her. She could not trust her. She could not talk about it.

"Try me."

Ivypool wished she hadn't opened her mouth at all, and had just let Swallowtail believe she hated her. She was cornered – either she told the truth, or made up another lie, or...

"I don't know if I truly like Hawkfrost," she blurted out. It  _was_  part of the truth, but still not all of it.

Apparently, that was not the right answer, though, because Swallowtail let out a hiss of frustration. "Are you  _kidding_   _me_  right now? The reason you just, decided I wasn't worth your time anymore, is that you wanted to figure out if you wanted to become more involved with a cat like  _him_?"

Ivypool had made a terrible mistake. "No, it's not like that, you misunderstood!" she mewed.

Swallowtail appeared annoyed. "How did you mean it, then?" she asked.

Her tone was... why did it not have an edge? Why didn't she continue to yell at her? Isn't that how it was supposed to go?

"What?" She couldn't help asking.

Swallowtail was more collected now. "Explain how you meant it. I don't know how I could have misunderstood, so tell me."

She meant it. She actually meant it. Ivypool was not used to being listened to. Was this a trap? Would she continue yelling the moment Ivypool started explaining?

"I didn't mean it in an..." She eyed Swallowtail suspiciously. But she only nodded, urging her to go on. "...in an 'I don't know if I like him platonically or romantically' way. I meant it in an 'I don't know if I like him at all' way."

Swallowtail shook her head. "Then why would you spend so much time with him? I just don't get it – if you doubt you even like him, why bother?"

"I told you: you wouldn't understand."

A sigh. "You can't keep going on like this, you know. Why can't you tell me-"

"We have had a fall out," Ivypool interrupted. "I'm sorry, but I am not comfortable sharing everything with you all of a sudden."

She hoped she would get lost after that. But she did not.

"I did not come here to start an argument with you," Swallowtail declared. "I don't want to lose you as a friend."

Ivypool stared at her as if she'd grown a second head.

"But I understand if you need space," Swallowtail continued. "I just hope that we can go back to how things were before."

"I don't remember how things were before," Ivypool blurted out.

Swallowtail blinked at her, slowly. "What do you mean? How could you not remember?"

Ivypool stared back, just as confused as her. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She had no explanation, no excuse, nothing.

Nothing except the truth. But Swallowtail wouldn't believe that. Swallowtail couldn't know that.

"Do you really... do you really not remember? Did something happen? Is that why you have been acting so strange?"

Ivypool gaped.  _A plausible explanation. A way out. I won't need Hawkfrost anymore._

"I..." She had to make this believable. "I don't know. I... I don't remember anything but the past few moons," she mewed, voice quiet. "I didn't know how to... what to... I didn't know what was going on, who you were, the... the  _rules_ , I didn't remember a single thing about it."

She wasn't exactly lying through her teeth.

"But... but why didn't you say something?" Swallowtail had a point.

Ivypool did not have an answer for that.

"I was scared," she finally mewed.

"Of what?"

"I... I don't know, I-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Swallowtail interrupted. "If you didn't remember anything – or anyone – how come you spent so much time with Hawkfrost? What does he...? Why...?"

"He is... kind of the first thing I remember," Ivypool mewed.

Swallowtail gave her a look. "So?"

"Sooooo..." Well, Swallowtail got her there. Ivypool looked at her, trying to come up with a response.

She failed.

"Alright," Swallowtail mewed. "What I got from this, is that you have lost your memories, did not tell anyone about it because you were scared, ignored your friends – and Hawkfrost, who is 'the first thing you remember', is connected to all of this. Correct?"

"C... Correct," Ivypool stammered.

"What did Hawkfrost do to you?"

 _Horrible things_. "Nothing. He didn't do anything."

"Oh really? Does he know about your memories?"

"Yes, but-"

"Did he convince you not to tell anyone about it?"

Technically, yes, but she had willingly agreed to it.

Swallowtail was lashing with her tail. Only now does Ivypool realize where this was going; Hawkfrost had a bad reputation – if she were to say he silenced her, threatened her... which was true, by the way... he could get exiled. There was an actual chance Leopardstar would get rid of him, if Swallowtail was right. If he left the Clans, would he stop being a threat?

Her heart was pounding so rapidly in her chest she was afraid it would explode. The chance to undermine Hawkfrost... to  _actually_  damage him, was right in front of her. If she said the right words-

Swallowtail nudged her. "What did he do?"

Ivypool made a split-second decision. "It was me. I convinced him to not tell anyone. I  _begged_  him not to tell."

She didn't know what she would be getting into if she told about him. Hawkfrost knew his Clan better than she did. If she accused him without a plan, he could turn it against her in a heartbeat. She needed more time to figure this out. She was wasting her chance, she knew it – but she  _had_   _to_  have a plan. Cats who supported her. Evidence.

"I was scared because I didn't remember  _anything_. I asked him to tell me about everything," Ivypool continued. "He helped me."

Swallowtail looked doubtful. She eyed her carefully. "But it's been moons. Why didn't you tell anyone else? Did you plan on going on like nothing ever happened?"

Ivypool sighed internally. "I admit, I did. But now, you made me reconsider."

"So... you  _will_  tell the Clan, then?"

The Clan. The ground swayed under Ivypool. Oh, StarClan - the Clan.

"I... I hadn't thought about that yet." She turned to her. "Can you please keep it a secret? Only until I find a way to tell."

Swallowtail was hesitant. "I don't think you should keep this a secret."

"I won't." Swallowtail opened her mouth "Just give me some time, I'll tell them, I promise. I don't want to make things harder than they have to be," Ivypool added.

That seemed to convince the other. "Alright."

They did not go on. Ivypool couldn't decide if the silence was awkward or not. Should she... ask something, or let it be, or what?

She glanced at Swallowtail. She was staring into the night, lost in thought. The conversation was over.

Ivypool wondered if it would be rude to be the first who went to sleep. Just when she wanted to say good night, Swallowtail spoke:

"He did not care about Splashpaw."

"What?"

Swallowtail kept staring ahead. "Splashpaw died," she whispered. "I told him about it, and he did not react. He did not care."

"Who? Who did not care?"

" _Hawkfrost_." Her voice was venomous.

Ivypool should have suspected it was him. Swallowtail's expression was blank, her eyes empty.

Ivypool touched her shoulder with her nose. "I'm sorry," she mewed, voice soft.

Swallowtail mumbled her response. "We should get to sleep."

They made their way back to camp – to the Tribe, Ivypool corrected herself.

No one said anything.

She tried to sort her thoughts, but to no avail. Now, she was entangled in another web of lies. She wished she could feel lighter – after all, Swallowtail wanted to help. At least, that's what she said. How could she face the Clan, though? RiverClan? What would they think, if they found out – would they think she wasn't one of them anymore? If they exiled her, then-

She wanted to go back. Back to her real Clan, to her real clanmates, to her real life. But how could she? She didn't know how she got into this situation in the first place, so how...?

Squirrelflight and Bramblestar. She had to talk to them. They had to figure this out.

And Hawkfrost... What was she supposed to do with Hawkfrost? Hawkfrost has lied to her in the past. What was to say he didn't this time?

_If you fall, I'll catch you._

_You are speaking to RiverClan's new deputy._

_Be careful? There's a war coming and it won't be won with sheathed claws._

_You've never been so kind to me before._

Why are you so upset about that apprentice's death? He wasn't your clanmate.

_Splashpaw died. I told him about it, and he did not react. He did not care._

_This time don't stop at the first scent of blood._

_You choose Hawkfrost, a_ _Dark Forest cat_ _, the cat who tried to kill you, over your clanmates?_

It just made no sense. Nothing made sense anymore. She wished she could stop thinking, that the world stopped until she could collect herself – but did not. It never did. It never will.

She stared at the surroundings, in hopes it would distract her. It was already nightfall. In the forest, the summer night was filled with the music of crickets – here, she faintly heard owls shrieking and leaves rustling in the wind. It all felt so...  _different_. So foreign.

The moonlight glinted on sprouts, trees, bushes and pebbles. The forest in ThunderClan's territory has always been too thick to make a similar sight possible – she wanted to take everything in, eyes scanning the area frantically.

But she knew, the memories would start fading the moment they left the mountains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The most unrealistic thing in the WaCa universe is that when someone gets a new name everyone immediately gets it right and calls them by the new name. I mean, this is just so unrealistic? ? ?
> 
> So after re-reading this,... I have actually made this very sad. I re-read some parts from The Last Hope and my own fic to include hurtful quotes, I wanted to make it more "angry", create conflict, but it turned out sad... Did not expect that.
> 
> As I mentioned in chapter 1 [of the previous work], I will take the topic of abuse more seriously, and Hawkfrost will not be forgiven easily, if forgiven at all. It is really complicated to write about their relationship. I am more of a realist, I would like to go with "abusers don't deserve second chances [from their victims]", but at the same time the 14 yo kid inside me is screaming at me that I am messing it up, and he has kinda hinted at a romance too many times in previous chapters, I can't just scratch all of it, and the topic is much more complicated than that. Meh, idk how this will turn out. Any speculations? :D


	3. Chapter 16

**Hawkfrost**

Saying Hawkfrost was confused would be an understatement.

The past moons in this...  _whatever_ situation, he hadn't really made a fuss about anything. He simply decided he wouldn't. He just went along with it. Along with the flow.

Well, excluding  _any_  and  _all_  things that related to Ivypool.

He just didn't get it. One moment they were chummy with each other, the other they were at each other's throats. He couldn't decide if Ivypool hated him with all her heart or if she was... warming up to him, or something.

He also couldn't decide if  _he_  hated her with all his heart or if he did not. What even was the appropriate reaction to her? Not like he cared about being proper, but he liked to at least know how things were  _supposed_  to go.

The two of them had never acted like this before. Their relationship had solely been a mentor-apprentice kind of relationship. Up until now, they have never cracked jokes, shared their tragic backstory, shared food, slept next to each other, or did _anything of the kind_.

The journey through the mountains made him forget... every single thing his father had taught him. Ivypool was a traitor – why did he not get rid of her yet? If he had, this whole acting thing would already be over. The only reason Ivypool was still alive is that he had been too lazy to fake being sad about her death.

Right here, in the mountains, her death could be staged. She could slip and fall. Encounter rogue dogs. Rogue cats. Devour poisonous berries. Get lost. The opportunities were almost endless, and yet...

...he wouldn't act on them. Instead, he let her come close, let her sleep next to him at night, let her get to know him- he had let her in.

 _No_. He was only leading her on. Convincing her that he could be trusted. So when the time came, she wouldn't see his attack-

"Everything alright?"

Hawkfrost's head whipped around. He spotted Mothwing, who took a seat next to him. He thought he saw Swallowtail and Ivypool a little further away, but he wasn't sure.

Mothwing eyed him up and down. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing." Hawkfrost continued to stare at his paws.

Mothwing didn't let it go that easily. "Something is bothering you."

" _You_  are bothering me."

His sister was used to his attitude. "Well, you can either let it eat you up from the inside, or talk about it."

"I'm not talking about my feelings."

"Yes, that's a hard thing to do for someone who doesn't have any."

"How kind of you."

"Like you can complain." Mothwing's tone held an edge. "It's not like you are an expert on how to be kind to anyone. Especially not to your littermate."

Hawkfrost was not in the mood to discuss anyone's feelings. He sent Mothwing a glare. "Can't you just leave me alone?"

She didn't even flinch. "If that's what you want."

She got up, but didn't immediately leave.

"Every cat has a point where they give up trying, Hawkfrost," she mewed, looking him in the eye. "And you just made me reach mine."

He did not respond. She left, and he was alone again.

He did not know what to make of his situation. He wished he was told what to do. Playing along Tigerstar's rules was easy – it's what he was used to. Now, without any contact to his father or any other Dark Forest cats, he was lost. Trapped in a small place with no way out.

"I heard what you said to Mothwing."

Hawkfrost wished the ground would open up and swallow him. He didn't bother giving any indication that he heard her, if Ivypool wanted to get a reaction out of him, she had to try harder.

"Yeah and?"

" _Yeah and_?" she repeated in a mocking tone. "How can you talk to her like that? She's your sister."

"And surely  _you_  know how to treat a sister right, don't you."

"Don't try to pretend this is about me."

"How I talk to my sister is none of your business."

"But how you talk to my clanmate  _is_." Ivypool did not come closer to him and it annoyed Hawkfrost more than he would have liked. "I didn't know that you think you can talk like that just because you're in a bad mood."

Hawkfrost lost his temper. He whipped around to her. "What's your problem this time?"

Ivypool laughed. "Are you being serious right now?" She stared at him in disbelief. "Don't you see what you're doing?"

"The only thing I see is that whatever I do, it's not good enough for you!" He regretted it the moment the words left his mouth.

"Not good enough for me? Who do you think you are?" Ivypool sneered.

Hawkfrost wanted to hide. Instead, he puffed out his chest. If he started this argument, he might as well finish it. "That's not the point. The point is, that you are constantly giving me mixed signals! This morning everything was fine, and now you're being a-"

"You're the one to talk!" Ivypool interrupted. "Just the other day, we were fooling around with prey, then suddenly you take it too seriously and try to rip my head off."

"I did  _not_  try to rip your head off, I was just being  _firm_."

"Oh, so I  _overreacted_? Is that what you're trying to say?"

Hawkfrost curled his lips. "Why can't you just decide if you hate me or not? I'm tired of trying to figure you out."

Ivypool shook her head. "I'm tired of this too."

"Just give me an answer."

Ivypool's eyes were cold. "I don't know. I don't know if I can  _ever_  forgive what you did to me. And I don't know what you want from me right now," she examined him with digust, "or what you'll do to me after you had gotten it, but I am sure about one thing – pretending to be friends is not working out."

With that, she turned around to leave, but Hawkfrost would not let her.

"Do  _I_  not get a say in this?" he shouted after her.

Ivypool stopped, but did not look at him.

"We had an agreement. Two, to be exact – and it's always been  _you_  who had broken them," Hawkfrost growled. "I certainly did not want to get stuck with you in this... in this  _mess_  of a situation, but here we are! I tried playing by the rules. I tried playing by  _your_  rules. But I can't keep up if you decide to change them  _every single day_!"

His glare could burn a hole into her back, but she did not turn back. She did not reply, she did not respond.

"You never even gave me a chance," Hawkfrost muttered.

"What made you think that you deserved one in the first place?"

Hawkfrost could not think of a response. He stood there, defeated. Watched Ivypool go, without a word.

Even after the dark had enveloped her light-coloured pelt, he kept staring at the spot, mind blank.

What was he going to do now?

**Brambleclaw**

If it had been up to Brambleclaw, he would have slept right until sun-high.

Of course, it did had not been up to him. So right now, with the knowledge that his eyes could fall shut at any moment, he can barely take in the scene unfolding in front of him. Really, he has to replay it at least two times in his mind to get it – and even after that, he's not sure he can trust himself.

Apparently Hawkfrost... well, whatever he had done last night - it had created a  _giant_  mess _._

Brambleclaw made his way through the cave, trying to find Stormfur for the hunt he had promised the night before. He expected him to be at the place where he had slept, but his nest was empty. Maybe he was at the entrance.

Stormfur was, in fact, at the entrance, waiting for him. Brambleclaw would have approached, but another cat stood in his way. At the time, he had been mildly annoyed. But had the other cat not been there, he would have missed Hawkfrost's fall from grace.

Mothwing was about to exit the cave too – Brambleclaw suspected to collect herbs – and she spoke to Stormfur.

"Could you accompany me? I could use some extra help."

Stormfur's eyes met Brambleclaw's, but before the RiverClan cat could say anything, Hawkfrost emerged out of nowhere.

"I can come with you," he said.

Mothwing turned her head to him very slowly. "I didn't know we were on speaking terms."

Hawkfrost gaped like a fish. "I, uh..." He was completely stunned for a moment. Then he blinked a few times, and found his words again. "Well, I didn't know you put your petty fight with me over the well-being of your Clan."

Mothwing did not give any physical reaction. "And I thought you had already reached your lowest. But you just have to keep surprising me with your insensitiveness, don't you."

Her tone was so flat and  _hopeless_  it made Brambleclaw's chest hurt. He felt like intruding something private. If Mothwing's expression wasn't so sad, he would have been glad someone finally told Hawkfrost off.

The cat in front of him moved, but he wasn't so eager for that hunt anymore. He greeted Mothwing and Stormfur, ignoring Hawkfrost completely.

"Actually, Stormfur and I agreed to go out hunting," he said to Mothwing. "But we can still help with herbs."

Mothwing seemed to relax. "Thank you."

At that moment, the dawn patrol returned. The Clan cats were mingling with the Tribe cats – though the patrol mostly consisted of Clan cats, the Tribe cats still had to show them around. Ivypool, who was one of them, was the last one who entered the cave. As she passed Hawkfrost, neither looked at the other – Ivypool stared straight ahead, and Hawkfrost purposefully turned his head in the other direction, pretending to look at the cavewalls.

Brambleclaw was taken aback. He honestly thought they were getting along. Until now, it seemed.

Every hair on his body was telling him to ignore it, that taunting Hawkfrost would  _not_  be a good idea, but he just simply couldn't resist:

"I see you made some friends last night," he said to the tom. He thought he heard a snicker from a RiverClan cat who passed by, but he wasn't sure.

Hawkfrost met his gaze with a fiery glare. "I see you didn't jump off a cliff last night," he snapped. A little too loudly, because his voice boomed, and several cats looked at him with dismay.

Brambleclaw just gave him a few slow nods as a response, then turned around and motioned Stormfur and Mothwing to get going.

* * *

 

Mothwing took the lead. Her pace was frantic, and the toms could barely keep up with her.

"Mothwing!" Stormfur yelled. "Slow down!"

The she-cat stopped abruptly, and Brambleclaw almost crashed into her at full speed.

"Sorry," he muttered.

But Mothwing didn't even seem to notice him. She stared at nothing, lost in her thoughts.

Stormfur and Brambleclaw exchanged looks. Brambleclaw motioned to him with his head:  _Talk to her!_

"Mothwing? Is... Is everything alright?" Stormfur asked, moving closer to her carefully.

The medicine cat blinked at him. "Huh? Oh, I... it's just..." She stared at her paws. Then, after a sigh, she went on: "It's Hawkfrost. I don't know... I don't know anymore, I just don't get why he keeps being like this."

"Being like what?" Brambleclaw asked.

Mothwing's ear twitched. "He's aggressive. He has become more aggressive over the past moons. But it didn't,..." she was searching for the right words, "It seemed to happen overnight. I don't know what changed, but he's becoming unbearable."

Seeing her pained expression, Brambleclaw wanted to drop it. But if Mothwing told him more-

"I don't know what's gotten into him lately, either," Stormfur said.

"What do you mean by that?" Brambleclaw asked. He was prying, he knew it, but he had to know.

Stormfur seemed hesitant. "I don't know what's going on, but he and Ivypool-"

"He and Ivypool!" Mothwing murmured. "Maybe it's that."

Brambleclaw just kept repeating the same question over and over: "What does that mean?"

"He and Ivypool have had a lot of fights lately," Mothwing explained.

"They did? I thought they were friends," Brambleclaw said.

She shook her head. "I don't understand, either. I mean, ever since we were apprentices, they had gotten along. They had always shown their affection through insults, but now... now it's like they  _mean_  the things they say to each other. I have caught them multiple times fighting, both verbally and-"

"They had another argument last night," Stormfur cut in.

Mothwing looked at him. "You  _eavesdropped_?"

"No! I mean, yes, but... the only reason I heard what they said is that they were yelling." Stormfur flicked his tail. "They said some strange things to each other."

"Like what?" Mothwing asked.

Stormfur shook his head. "I heard Ivypool say- She said something about not wanting to pretend to be Hawkfrost's friend anymore."

" _Pretend_?" Mothwing repeated. "What do you mean, pretend?"

Stormfur looked confused. "I don't know. But maybe that's not exactly how Ivypool said it."

"Well, maybe it was a figure of speech, then," Mothwing muttered.

Her eyes fell on Brambleclaw. The tom tried his best to disappear at that moment, but it did not help. Mothwing looked like someone who just snapped back to reality.

"We should get on with hunting and collecting," she declared.

Brambleclaw muttered an agreement. He was burning under his pelt, but he was glad. He had gotten a lot of answers, but a dozen new questions arised – How long have Ivypool and Hawkfrost been here? Was Ivypool taking someone else's place? If Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw and Hawkfrost were reliving their own memories, why was Ivypool here?

When Stormfur nudged him and asked what was wrong, he decided he had to think about these questions later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love talking, but I am afraid I would spoil the things I have planned, so I'll try to make this short.
> 
> Okay, so. It literally only occurred to me now that Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight can also be mad at Hawkfrost for killing Hollyleaf. I haven't really been in the fandom since 2k15 and it shows.
> 
> Anyway. I am trying to give both Hawkfrost and Ivypool space, to let them have some time to figure their things out, and for that to happen, they needed to "break up". And that's what happened.
> 
> Since ThunderClan and RiverClan won't have shared borders in the new territory, the two duos will have less interactions. Which means Ivypool and Hawkfrost are basically stuck with each other in one sense. Not like Hawkfrost would talk to Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw or vice versa, but you get it.
> 
> Thank you for reading my story!


End file.
